Sports, Religion, and Politics: Is the Tim Tebow Super Bowl Ad Too Much?

I don’t personally have an issue with genuine displays of faith when it comes to athletes and mainstream sports.

I don’t mind a player pointing to the sky after he scores a touchdown, or an award recipient thanking God “first and foremost because nothing would be possible without Him.”

No qualms here. If that’s what you feel is necessary for you, then go for it. Free speech.

But what about when topics turn political? Should our athletes be using their grand stage to make statements regarding combustible political issues?

It’s a fascinating question, and one I’m not sure has a right or wrong answer. It simple depends on where you stand.

Much fuss has been made about the advocacy ad starring Tim Tebow that will apparently run on CBS during the Super Bowl on Feb. 7. 

Tebow will join his mother in sending an anti-abortion message to millions of viewers through a 30-second timeslot that will be funded by the conservative Christian group, Focus on the Family.

By now, the story of Tebow’s birth (and his mother’s decision) is almost legendary.

In 1987, Pam Tebow got sick during a mission trip to the Philippines while pregnant with Tim. Doctors worried about the condition of her baby and came to the conclusion that the best choice would be for Mrs. Tebow to have an abortion.

She refused, and shortly after a future Heisman Trophy quarterback was born.

Since announcing they would run the ad, CBS has received numerous complaints from various women’s groups protesting the ad.

“An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year—an event designed to bring Americans together,” Jehmu Greene, president of the Women’s Media Center, told The Associated Press.

CBS believes that its acceptance of the Tebow ad simply reflects an evolution of policies without conforming to public opinion.

“We have for some time moderated our approach to advocacy submissions after it became apparent that our stance did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms,” said CBS spokesman Dana McClintock. “In fact, most media outlets have accepted advocacy ads for some time.” 

There may be truth in the complaints of the women’s groups, and there also may be truth in CBS’ statements. 

But it’s hard to fault the network for running the ad because their agenda, presumably, isn’t the same as political groups.

Broadcast networks are in the business of making money, not fairly allotting airtime for political messages.

Thirty-second ads for the Super Bowl are running from $2.5 million to close to $3 million. If a group is willing to meet that price for an ad, and the ad doesn’t ruin a network’s credibility, then the ad is going to run. Pretty simple.

But I don’t feel sports should be a platform for politics.

Of course, Tebow doesn’t think he is being political with this ad. Tebow believes it is strictly part of his religious beliefs, and he has made it clear that he is equally interested in spreading the word as he is in anything else in his life.

The root of the issue is the platform that sports provides certain individuals to connect with the public.

It’s a luxury to be able to stand in front of a camera and say anything you wish to say to a massive audience. Some athletes take that responsibility and privilege for granted.

But if I’m a fan, I don’t really want my favorite athletes telling me who I should vote for, what campaigns I should support, and so on.

I like to believe that we are capable of making our own decisions on political issues with some education and intelligence mixed in with our personal opinions.

I want Josh Beckett to fire 96 mph fastballs in October and let me dream about how much fun it looks to do such a thing.

I want LeBron James to battle other superstars and let me relish in the drama that comes with two alpha males fighting over the same slice of glory.

There’s a certain beauty and entertainment value that sports offers us that nothing else can compare to.

Think of the people of New Orleans and how emotionally lost they have become in the Saints. That’s the power of sports, and I think that gets diluted when we start crossing the line with political speak.

There are plenty of outlets for real-world issues, and you could argue that they are more important than sports. In fact, we know they are more important than sports.

Obviously, the state of Haiti is a billion times more important than the state of Major League Baseball.

But we can’t underestimate the liberating sensation that comes with getting away from “real life” for a few hours at a sporting event. It’s a monumental release for millions of people.

There’s a difference between wearing a cross on the field and pushing a political party. One has a small place, one has no place in sports.

If I could decide (which, obviously, I can’t), I wouldn’t run Tebow’s ad during the Super Bowl because it is no longer merely his personal beliefs, but rather an effort to persuade the country.

And, I’m sorry, that’s beyond the scope of Tim Tebow.

If athletes want to make such grandiose statements, there are other ways to do it.

Start groups, write books, host a talk show, build a following on Twitter, whatever.

But by taking such messages mainstream, they ultimately take the focus off of the game and its natural storylines, which is where our eyes should be directed.

Tebow’s ad will run, some won’t like it, some will.

It won’t bother me, but there’s a part of me that wishes, you know, I could just eat wings and guacamole and think only about football on Super Bowl Sunday.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at [e-mail].